Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan during the 98th Sitting of the National Assembly

Over $245M was unanimously approved for supplementary provisions for security services and payments to sweeper cleaners in Regions Four, Five Six, Nine and Ten. Of this amount, $230M were approved for security services across while $15M for the payments of sweeper cleaners.

The supplementary provisions were approved in the National Assembly on Wednesday evening. These funds were allocated as contract payments for security services at various sites regionally under the purview of the Ministry of Communities and to pay sweeper cleaners in Region Ten.

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan explained that the security services were contracted for a period of one year adding that the contracts were done prior to the 2018 budget. He said that the contracts initially catered for a fixed sum which has since been raised.

In response to questions raised by the opposition, Minister Bulkan revealed that the majority of the contracts were tendered by Integrated Security Services. He also committed to having allegations of the company’s poor treatment of workers, delayed and below minimum wage salary payments investigated.